DIY No Sew Ruffled Tree Skirt

Decorations courtesy of my 2 year old!

As I was doing my daily Pinterest searching, I came across the most beautiful Christmas Tree skirt. Of course after following the links to the actual skirt, it was around $150. Really?! Now I love Christmas and will buy almost anything, but I could not find it in myself to spend that much money on a tree skirt. 

So then I took to Google, my second love. I came across a project for a very similar skirt through HGTV. Sold! I piled my clan into the minivan with promises of ice-cream if they could behave while mommy looked around Hobby Lobby. For under $20, that is right 20 bucks, I made a feminine and elegant ruffled linen tree skirt. Come on, with 2 boys and a husband, this lady right here will do anything for a feminine touch. Granted, when I was done with it, my boys turned it into a race car track, sigh!

                                                         




Here is what you will need:

4 1/2 x 4 1/2 piece of canvas 
measuring tape
5 yards of cream linen
sharp scissors
hot glue gun and glue stick

Buying a painters drop cloth is the cheapest way to get such a large piece of canvas. Mine was $7 at Walmart. You just have to cut it to size.

Using a tape measure, measure, mark and cut a piece of canvas 4 1/2' x 4 1/2'.

Fold the square into quarters, then over itself to form a triangle with the folded center at point.

Cut base in a quarter circle

Cut a small quarter circle out of the point

Open the skirt until it's folded in half and cut along the radius on one side of the center hole only. This will provide a hole for the tree trunk and a slit in the fabric so the skirt can be placed under the tree.

MEASURE and CUT the linen

Using sharp scissors, cut linen fabric lengthwise into 2-inch-wide strips.

CREATE the ruffles

Preheat hot glue gun. Apply a line of hot glue approximately 1 1/2 inches from outside edge of skirt. Create ruffles by pinching linen with fingers and pushing gathers down onto hot glue. Work in small sections, no more than about 12 inches at a time. Continue this process around the entire skirt edge. Start the next row approximately 1 1/2 inches above the previous row. Continue adding rows until entire canvas base is covered.

Reese's Peanut Butter Hot Chocolate

As the weather begins to get colder, it just seems like the perfect time to pull out the hot chocolate. Sitting snuggled up on the couch, with a warm blanket, my DVR list and cup of hot chocolate is how I like to spend the cold nights, especially when my husband is out of town for work.

Normally I stock up on boxes of hot chocolate for my Keurig but regular hot chocolate can get very monotonous. As I was standing over my Keurig watching my hot chocolate brew one night I thought...what could I do to take this to the next level? Switching out water for milk, well that was the obvious thought. Then I started to think, I began rummaging through my pantry and spotted the peanut butter. I mean who doesn't like peanut butter and chocolate together. Then the Halloween candy caught my eye, Reese's cups!

This is how my little obsession started ♥

Ingredients:

1 cup of milk
2-3 tbsp Ghirardelli Double Chocolate Hot Cocoa Mix (you can use your favorite mix)
1/2 tbsp Creamy Peanut Butter
2 drops of pure vanilla extract
Dash of nutmeg
Dash of cinnamon
Whipped Cream
A Reese's Peanut Butter Cup

(This recipe will make 1 cup, so if you want to make more just double the recipe)

Add the milk to the pan and let it simmer.

Add the vanilla and chocolate to the milk.

Stir until the chocolate is incorporated.

Add your peanut butter and whisk until it is incorporated into the hot chocolate..yum!

Pour into a glass.

Add some whipped cream and pieces of a Reese's Peanut Butter Cup

ENJOY!